Steven Spielberg watch order

Steven Spielberg movies in order, by release and rating. Updated October 20, 2026.

Steven Spielberg's films mostly stand alone, so watch them in release order, from Duel (1971) and Jaws (1975) to The Fabelmans (2022) and Disclosure Day (2026). The ones that connect are the Indiana Jones films (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, which is set a year earlier, Last Crusade and Crystal Skull) and Jurassic Park with The Lost World.

How to watch the Steven Spielberg movies in order: the full guide

All 35 films and series in the Steven Spielberg franchise, in release order and in chronological (story) order. The first in release order is Duel (1971); the first in chronological order is Duel (set in A truck on a desert highway).

Release order

Duel (Movie, 1971): A salesman on a desert highway is hunted by a tanker truck whose driver is never seen.
The Sugarland Express (Movie, 1974): A Texas couple take a patrolman hostage to reclaim their son, trailed by a growing police convoy.
Jaws (Movie, 1975): A great white shark preys on a beach town, and the police chief goes to sea to kill it.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Movie, 1977): An Indiana lineman who sees a UFO is drawn, with others, to a meeting at Devils Tower.
1941 (Movie, 1979): Los Angeles panics over a Japanese submarine days after Pearl Harbor in this wartime farce.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (Movie, 1981): The 1981 original and the place to start.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Movie, 1982): Spielberg's boy-and-alien classic.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Movie, 1984): A prequel set in 1935, a year before Raiders.
The Color Purple (Movie, 1985): Alice Walker's story of Celie, an abused Georgia woman who finds her voice over forty years.
Empire of the Sun (Movie, 1987): A British boy separated from his parents in Shanghai survives World War II in a Japanese camp.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Movie, 1989): Indy and his father search for the Grail.
Always (Movie, 1989): A firefighting pilot dies and returns as a spirit to guide the rookie who falls for his girlfriend.
Hook (Movie, 1991): Peter Pan grown up.
Jurassic Park (Movie, 1993): The 1993 original.
Schindler's List (Movie, 1993): A German businessman saves over a thousand Jews from the Holocaust by putting them on his payroll.
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (Movie, 1997): Ian Malcolm on Isla Sorna; it ends with a T. rex in San Diego.
Amistad (Movie, 1997): Africans who seized a slave ship in 1839 fight for their freedom in American courts.
Saving Private Ryan (Movie, 1998): After D-Day, a squad of Rangers is sent behind the lines to bring one paratrooper home.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Movie, 2001): A robot boy built to love sets out to become real after his human mother abandons him.
Minority Report (Movie, 2002): The chief of a unit that stops murders before they happen is accused of a future killing.
Catch Me If You Can (Movie, 2002): A teen con man forges cheques and poses as a pilot, doctor and lawyer with the FBI on his trail.
The Terminal (Movie, 2004): A traveller whose passport becomes void mid-flight is stuck living inside JFK Airport.
War of the Worlds (Movie, 2005): A divorced father flees with his two children as alien tripods rise and lay waste to the world.
Munich (Movie, 2005): After the 1972 Olympic massacre, a Mossad agent leads a secret squad hunting the men behind it.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Movie, 2008): Indy in 1957.
The Adventures of Tintin (Movie, 2011): A motion-capture Tintin and Captain Haddock hunt for a sunken pirate ship's treasure.
War Horse (Movie, 2011): A Devon farm horse is sold to the army in 1914, and the boy who raised him goes to find him.
Lincoln (Movie, 2012): Lincoln fights to pass the Thirteenth Amendment through the House before the Civil War ends.
Bridge of Spies (Movie, 2015): A Brooklyn lawyer defends a Soviet spy, then trades him for a downed US pilot in Berlin.
The BFG (Movie, 2016): A London orphan befriends a kind giant who catches dreams, and they ask the Queen for help.
The Post (Movie, 2017): The Washington Post's publisher risks her paper to print the Pentagon Papers in 1971.
Ready Player One (Movie, 2018): In 2045, a teenager hunts a hidden prize in a virtual world packed with 1980s pop culture.
West Side Story (Movie, 2021): A new take on the musical: rival Manhattan gangs and two lovers caught between them in 1957.
The Fabelmans (Movie, 2022): Spielberg's own childhood, lightly fictionalised: a boy with a camera and a family coming apart.
Disclosure Day (Movie, 2026): A TV meteorologist and a whistleblower race to prove to the world that extraterrestrials exist.

Chronological order

Duel (set in A truck on a desert highway): A salesman on a desert highway is hunted by a tanker truck whose driver is never seen.
The Sugarland Express (set in A Texas police chase): A Texas couple take a patrolman hostage to reclaim their son, trailed by a growing police convoy.
Jaws (set in Amity Island): A great white shark preys on a beach town, and the police chief goes to sea to kill it.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (set in Devils Tower): An Indiana lineman who sees a UFO is drawn, with others, to a meeting at Devils Tower.
1941 (set in Los Angeles after Pearl Harbor): Los Angeles panics over a Japanese submarine days after Pearl Harbor in this wartime farce.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (set in 1936): The 1981 original and the place to start.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (set in A California suburb): Spielberg's boy-and-alien classic.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (set in 1935): A prequel set in 1935, a year before Raiders.
The Color Purple (set in Rural Georgia): Alice Walker's story of Celie, an abused Georgia woman who finds her voice over forty years.
Empire of the Sun (set in Shanghai, 1941): A British boy separated from his parents in Shanghai survives World War II in a Japanese camp.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (set in 1938): Indy and his father search for the Grail.
Always (set in Firefighting pilots): A firefighting pilot dies and returns as a spirit to guide the rookie who falls for his girlfriend.
Hook (set in Neverland): Peter Pan grown up.
Jurassic Park (set in Isla Nublar): The 1993 original.
Schindler's List (set in Kraków): A German businessman saves over a thousand Jews from the Holocaust by putting them on his payroll.
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (set in Isla Sorna): Ian Malcolm on Isla Sorna; it ends with a T. rex in San Diego.
Amistad (set in 1839): Africans who seized a slave ship in 1839 fight for their freedom in American courts.
Saving Private Ryan (set in Normandy, 1944): After D-Day, a squad of Rangers is sent behind the lines to bring one paratrooper home.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (set in A robot boy): A robot boy built to love sets out to become real after his human mother abandons him.
Minority Report (set in Washington, 2054): The chief of a unit that stops murders before they happen is accused of a future killing.
Catch Me If You Can (set in The 1960s): A teen con man forges cheques and poses as a pilot, doctor and lawyer with the FBI on his trail.
The Terminal (set in JFK Airport): A traveller whose passport becomes void mid-flight is stuck living inside JFK Airport.
War of the Worlds (set in New Jersey): A divorced father flees with his two children as alien tripods rise and lay waste to the world.
Munich (set in 1972): After the 1972 Olympic massacre, a Mossad agent leads a secret squad hunting the men behind it.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (set in 1957): Indy in 1957.
The Adventures of Tintin (set in The Unicorn's treasure): A motion-capture Tintin and Captain Haddock hunt for a sunken pirate ship's treasure.
War Horse (set in World War I): A Devon farm horse is sold to the army in 1914, and the boy who raised him goes to find him.
Lincoln (set in 1865): Lincoln fights to pass the Thirteenth Amendment through the House before the Civil War ends.
Bridge of Spies (set in Berlin, 1960): A Brooklyn lawyer defends a Soviet spy, then trades him for a downed US pilot in Berlin.
The BFG (set in Giant Country): A London orphan befriends a kind giant who catches dreams, and they ask the Queen for help.
The Post (set in The Pentagon Papers, 1971): The Washington Post's publisher risks her paper to print the Pentagon Papers in 1971.
Ready Player One (set in The OASIS, 2045): In 2045, a teenager hunts a hidden prize in a virtual world packed with 1980s pop culture.
West Side Story (set in New York, 1957): A new take on the musical: rival Manhattan gangs and two lovers caught between them in 1957.
The Fabelmans (set in A boy and a movie camera): Spielberg's own childhood, lightly fictionalised: a boy with a camera and a family coming apart.
Disclosure Day (set in First contact): A TV meteorologist and a whistleblower race to prove to the world that extraterrestrials exist.

Coming next

Untitled The Adventures of Tintin Sequel (date to be announced)

Common questions

What order should I watch the Steven Spielberg movies in?

How many Steven Spielberg movies and shows are there?

There are 35 titles in the Steven Spielberg franchise: 35 films and 0 series, released from 1971 to 2026. 1 more is announced: Untitled The Adventures of Tintin Sequel.

How long does it take to watch all the Steven Spielberg movies?

About 79 hours for all 35 titles, counting every episode.

What is the first Steven Spielberg title in chronological order?

Duel, set in A truck on a desert highway. In release order the first is Duel (1971).

What is the next Steven Spielberg release?

Untitled The Adventures of Tintin Sequel, date to be announced.